Camsur bet finishes tough Kona Ironman

MANILA, Philippines—All Benjamin “JR” Raña ever dreamed of was to become a competitive cyclist. But the 25-year-old native of Pili, Camarines Sur has done more than that.

Less than three years after he started competing in triathlons, Raña, a member of the Camsur Tri Team, has broken into the elite circle of international triathletes—finishers of the grueling Ford Ironman World Championship, also known as Kona Ironman, in Hawaii.

Finishing at No. 941 overall among a field of close to 2,000, and 78th in the 25-29 age-group, JR clocked 10:53:46, finishing the swim leg in 1:17:50, the bike leg in 5:26:30, and the run in 4:02:54. He was just 20 minutes behind veteran Filipino triathlete Noy Jopson.

The Kona Ironman is the ultimate race consisting of 3.86 km swim, 180.25 km bike and 41.195 km run.

Raña competed against mostly veteran racers equip with the most modern and most expensive gadgetry. For the event, he used a brand new bike with a carbon fiber frame, purchased by Camarines Sur Gov. LRay Villafuerte, who also paid for JR’s entry fee in the race.

“Like all his teammates in the Camsur Tri Team, JR has the heart of a champion. He is usually underestimated because of his size (5-foot-4) and his humble demeanor, but make no mistake, he has the discipline, grit and determination required to be a top triathlete,” said Villafuerte.

JR and his teammates are products of Villafuerte’s Camsur Sports Development Program. The Camsur Tri Team was organized in 2009, right after the first Cobra Ironman Philippines 70.3 was held in Camarines Sur.

“I will just rest for a while, then go back to training,” Raña said. “I want to race while I’m still young.”